Category: Journalism


Mirror neurons , Evil and WiFi .

Filed under: Evolution, Journalism, Psychology, Religion, Terrorism, Uncategorized, War — Leave a comment
February 10, 2010

Posted on Brain Blogger …but with spelling corrections and added thoughts

http://brainblogger.com/2010/02/09/i-feel-your-pain-the-neural-basis-of-empathy/#comment-597971

Its interesting that the level of empathy we have for each other  might have its roots within our sensori-motor mirror neurons…i.e we have to see ( be within sensory reach) to feel anothers pain.That ability is like ‘ line of sight’  WiFi synapsing between different brains….as effective as if they were really hard wired . 
That would be useful because we would’nt be able to compete if we empathised with the competition ( over the hill and out of sight….or mass Media air-brushed ).
Maybe the action of group dance could synchronise a tribe to de-sychronise  & overcome the mirror neurons temporarily when we go spears in hand, face to face,  to kill fellow humans in another tribe.That synchronicity duality would be Media based today.
We co-operate to compete.So somewhere along the line…our ability to empathise must be able to be suspendable  , so that we can  indeed do  terrible things to fellow humans …as that is what we have evolved  to do .
I think we have rituals/memes that do this .Dances..music…media ..dis-information…I believe we pro-actively need to suspend ‘ the humanity ‘ we inherently perceive  in others , who are to be  the object of our terror..so that we can inflict productive amounts of terror upon that other set of individuals .In essence ..a short cut around our mirror neurons.
Its a horrible thing to say in words….but I’m struck by how we always have a need to de-humanise people first ..before we can efficiently co-operate to commit the very evil we declare ourselves to be fighting.

Is Religion such a short-cut ? A steering comittee for mirror neurons that can promotes group self -empathy but can productively short-cut and suspend the ‘empathy ‘neurons.

Spirituality would be the opposite end ( the side that tips the scales  towards more empathy and fewer short -cuts /work arounds  the mirror neurons).

I still believe religion begins from close proximity living..but here is the mechanism that could propagate it.

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Every Generation

Filed under: Advertising, Journalism — Leave a comment
February 7, 2010

Look back a few decades and film/media/ newsreels have a dated quality infused with the media idioms of the day.Watching a film from the 50′s is like watching a museum short , becoming more education on the past with every passing decade  rather than entertainment from the past.

We look back and chuckle to ourselves as to how things were done and perceived then….BUT ..what will they be chuckling at in 30 years time looking back at us now.Its all around us.We are the future Past…the way things were done.

Charlie Brooker has the easiest of targets by crossing the News Media in his sights.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtGSXMuWMR4

I love the diversity of the BBC  presenters ..so many different people from all over , seemingly from ex-empire type places  ( but  just Ealing really )…yet everyone has the same BBC measured metronome paced speech..no matter what your colour race class religion …….How do they do it? Unconsciously ?  Where do they find these people ..or what are they doing to them.Is there a conversion program or re-education camps for Northerners before they can join the Beeb.The next generation can have its laughs when they look back.We’ll  have to make do with Charlie Brooker.

Quite separately ..in the media of consumerism :

My favourite idea is the change in the high street which will go all Blade Runnery with passive self powered flat screened advertising everywhere.Plastic back lit acrylic and metal composite shop signs will be like the good ol days .On a trip to Malta , seeing the 50 year old signs on shops made me realise how quickly the High Street erases the past in the UK. Start collecting your things  ….you know we’re all going to  be very retro cool  one day.

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Isreali Arab exercises his amygdala on TV

Filed under: Journalism, Video, War — Leave a comment
January 11, 2010

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=414_1263204176

Now thats a raw clash of amygdalas.2 raw views of the world.

In sharp contrats ….heres a comical reduction of Isreals problems as stemming solely from a lack of good PR.Too comical  for comment. http://www.newsweek.com/id/229372

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Al Jazeera as terrorists

Filed under: Journalism, Terrorism — 1 Comment
December 23, 2009

I think this explains some of the  incredibly accurate ‘accidental’ bombing of Al Jazeera staffers that just seemed to happen to the them alone when the US were behind the triggers.

Too accurate ..too suspicious.Heres some of the idiocy that might have laid behind it….or was it a potential figleaf that was allowed to run further than the evidence allowed….meaning that Al Jazeera had to be stopped or have its wings clipped and any excuse would have been looked at …just as a a reason to bomb?

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/declassified/archive/2009/12/18/the-con-man-who-scared-the-nation.aspx

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Crowd sizes through media spectacles

Filed under: Journalism, Political, prediction — Leave a comment
September 6, 2009

The Media is the key instument and arena for the main battles of the Political forces , whether legitimate  ( parties , corporations , NGO’s )     or otherwise ( terrorists).

The estimation of crowd sizes becomes a subtle battleground for this fight.The nuances of the coverage become  slanted.

So CNN , calls the demonstrations against Chavez , recently organised throughout the Americas and + , as having  fallen flat.While the WSJ says that 10′s of thousands demonstrated and only a handful in a counter-demonstration.Each report , could be accurate, the CNN negative , the WSJ positive for demonstrators.(http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125220655269889075.html).

Usually the problem is the under or over estimating the crowd sizes according to your political slant on the demonstrators.

I wonder if satellite technology , or mobile mapping sites could create algorithms that could accurately estimate large group sizes .i.e for mobiles…fixed pictures from multiple angles could be used against a Google Street View style copy and people density and size could be guesstimated.

Or simpler still…computing the mobile phone densities in an area.Will it become de riguer for protestors to make themselves ‘heard’ ..by  not only attending  a rally..but to turn on their mobile and allow Mobile companies to estimate densities.It will come….because this is a war of hierachies  and every weapon that can be conceived…will be made.

Probably Google first….Google Crowds

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Journalism

Filed under: Journalism — Leave a comment
February 15, 2009

Journalists have good english skills but no strategic understanding of anything.  They are not taught anything so how can they have a superior opinion to anyone else?  They are not qualified to have an opinion.

They should only report and not set agenda’s.  Experts should be journalists because they have informed opinions.  Pure journalists only have their prejudices to ‘inform’ them.  That is the only area they have expertise in.

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